Los Angeles Hairstylists

Call us stubborn, call us childish, tell us we're stuck in a beauty rut —but don't criticize our long hair. Unlike so many of our previous stylists, Abergel was a kindred spirit, understanding our attachment, but determined to rehabilitate our lank, stiff hair. He dispatched an inch off the bottom and sheared long layers all around that swung with the slightest head turn. Now the only thing to call us is "the girl with the great hair."

Cut and color just like you see in magazines (Villanueva did the hairstyles for the women of "Reality TV," page 94). Hey, wait: Three to four weeks for an appointment. Nitty gritty: Assessing our current color as "too all-over blond" for our skin tone, Villanueva painted in low-lights to add depth, then judiciously wove in narrow golden streaks. He used razor-shears to produce face-framing "pieces," giving us a great cut. What you see: Dark sage walls, rattan armchairs, and a splashing fountain. What you smell: Passion-fruit candles. In-timacy issues: Villanueva has his own corner, pro-viding the privacy all serious haircut decisions demand. The sell: Villanueva likes MOP products but didn't push any of them on us.

Brows, $35 to $45, and makeup, $125, both with owner Weston; $25 and $65 with staff artists

20855 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills

818-347-2528

"Brows R Us." Eyebrow shaping, tinting, and lightening. Hey, wait: One to two months for Weston; no wait for staff. Nitty gritty: After brushing our long eyebrows up and snipping the ends so they'd appear fuller, Weston tweezed strays and applied taupe powder. She taught us how to get the red out of our eyelids, chin, and nose with her yellow-toned Candlelight Spot Stick. When she was finished, she took a Polaroid (for us to use as a cheat sheet later). What you see: The lobby of a 1920's vaudeville theater. What you hear: Boy George and Verdi. Pampering quotient: High, comfy leather chairs, and a well-stocked bathroom. Intimacy issues: The four makeup stations are staggered so that it's just you and your teacher in the mirror-no looky-looks. Famous faces: Bette Midler, Elizabeth Berkley, and Lisa Marie Presley.

As Lazo sized up our shoulder-length hair, we had flashbacks of our ex's lackluster lovemaking. "It's not sexy. It just lies there," he argued. Starting with a center part, Lazo put our blunt ends on a diet, so to speak, cutting "only where I see some weight that shouldn't be there." The prospect of layers forced us to shut our eyes in horror, but when we opened them, our formerly limp locks were redeemed. Too bad we can't say the same for our ex.

Luna works in a crisp white shirt, which led us to ask: "Is it practical to play with hair color while wearing that?" Luna assured us that he was "very precise." And after a few hours spent processing our hair in his garden, we had to agree. He replaced our plum-red shade with a summery strawberry, marked with golden glints that Luna painted a few painstaking strands at a time. Before we left, he examined us outside at different angles to make sure the color was perfect. And as we shamelessly checked ourselves out in every storefront window for the rest of the day, we marveled that such a methodical process could leave us with a color so beautifully natural.

Sunshine's name makes a cynic like us grouchy. But even after struggling through gridlock, we couldn't help but smile when she greeted us with a cup of tea. At her home salon, she combines cuts with massage and acupressure. Sunshine kneaded our neck and shoulders and stimulated acupressure points on our face, before cutting an inch from the ends and adding layers for a sexy shag. We felt so blissful we barely noticed the parking lot on the 405.

Ishkhans works on trendy Melrose Avenue, but he's not interested in fads. Pulling our hair into a high bun, he explained, "This lets me see the shape of your face so I can build a cut that's right for you." Ishkhans trimmed two inches off our shoulder-length style and snipped long layers "since short ones make fine hair flat." We walked out wanting to start a trend of our own—having Ishkhans cut our hair exclusively.

Vo's old-Hollywood cabana-style salon is as laid-back as it gets. But don't be fooled—Vo takes hair very seriously. After making nicey-nice chitchat, he sat us beneath a tell-all skylight to survey the damage. One look at our dark roots and brassy ends, and Vo suggested we trade in our beachy balayage look for more sophisticated highlights using a similar free-form technique he has dubbed "American tailoring." Painting right next to the scalp "to avoid that quarter-inch gap you get with foils," Vo made the strands thinner "so they're more subtle than balayage." After explaining that hair naturally has four colors running through it, he applied warm brown streaks alongside an amber and two different shades of golden blonde. When Vo laid his brush to rest, our honeyed tresses took our breath away—seriously.

Attempts to add a touch of va-va-voom to our fine, shoulder-length hair usually fall flat. Our request to Trevizo: Give us lasting volume and make our stringy ends seem convincingly full. After diligently focusing her blow-dryer on our roots to plump them up, Trevizo used a large round brush to turn out a flip, which she said would prevent our ends from separating. In order to keep our hair from seeming too retro, she zigzagged her fingers through it, producing unprecedented body and a modern, imperfect finish. It was just the type of boost we needed.

Over the past six years, Birchler has been building a fierce word-of-mouth following that includes actors, college students, and housewives. In November, he opened his own warehouse-style salon, where DJs spin in a loft above the cutting floor. Birchler's low-key, "everybody's a celebrity" attitude made us feel instantly relaxed (or at least as relaxed as we could be with a thumping disco beat in the background). Since we insisted on keeping our cherished length, Birchler "strengthened it" by trimming an inch, and cut long, concave layers with artisan-like precision. He finished off our new look with eye-framing Amber Valletta bangs—and in the salon's exclusive nightclub atmosphere, we felt a little bit like her, too.

We expected the standard architectural slickness from this new Beverly Hills salon, but instead walked into a room of exposed brick and distressed wood with the warmth of a Kansas farm. Our stylist, LeCompte, was as laid-back as the decor—he didn't fight our haircut paranoia, and agreed to take off only a couple of inches. The result was a softly layered shoulder-length cut that, miraculously, didn't require a single product. Which tipped us off to what McMillan and his team obviously already know—natural just feels better.

To lowlight or not to lowlight: That is the question facing overprocessed blondes like us who want a less ashy look. "Lowlights add darkness and depth, but because the dye is going on top of already-treated hair, it fades to muddy and needs to be retouched every three weeks," Gordon said. Instead, she played up our natural dark blonde hair by weaving in honey-colored highlights for contrast. Three trips to the shampoo sink later (to rinse out each section of dye at its peak), we had the most realistic-looking highlights we've seen. Because Gordon prefers to let the dye "take" naturally rather than hastening it under the dryer, two hours had elapsed since we walked in the door. And it was worth every second.

Babaie, former assistant to celebrity hairstylist Chris McMillan, is already attracting his own star following, including Estella Warren and Kate Hudson. He started by asking us what we were looking for in a haircut. Since that question is every bit as complex as what we"re looking for in a man, we stammered through an incomprehensible description: layered but not too layered, edgy but not too edgy, different but not drastic. Fortunately, Babaie had a eureka moment, exclaiming, "I have exactly the thing!" After a flurry of quick cutting, Babaie announced that he was going to blow-dry our hair "very conservatively" to double-check the cut. He wasn't kidding—we looked positively vice presidential. But when we awoke the next morning, the pouf had settled into a soft, chin-length style that seemed to fall just so.

Entering Dionicia Essence Boutique can be like walking into a club that would never let you beyond the velvet rope. The music thumps, the walls heave with works by unfamiliar artists, and the decor is off-puttingly flea market. Easily intimidated by the trendy types, we were surprisingly at ease in the hands of Alan Martinez, who quickly cut our hair to just above the collarbone, then razored the ends for a chunky updated shag. These people may be cool, but they're not too cool to coif those of us who fall somewhere between Marilyn Manson and Marilyn Quayle.

Considering Chan is the colorist for fair-haired beauties like Heather Graham, we expected to kiss our light brown base good-bye. He must have sensed that monthly salon visits wouldn't work with our packed schedule (and not-so-packed wallet), because he suggested just a few chunky pieces. The honey color is our best blonde since childhood—and we won't be dashing back to the salon every month for upkeep. It's a good thing, since Chan's celebrity house calls and television work mean he's in the salon only three days a week.

Serrano has worked on Jennifer Lopez and singer Jessica Simpson, as well as a 98° video. His signature style involves cutting with scissors, then using a razor to create uneven texture so hair looks good either blown out straight or air-dried and messy. Fitting you in: We called on Friday and got an appointment for Wednesday. And once we arrived, we waited only ten minutes. Nitty gritty: After explaining our desire for a transition do (we'd decided to grow out our shag), we got a thorough shampoo, but without a head massage. Then Serrano went to work, sectioning off our hair with butterfly clips. We ended up looking like a cross between a rocker girl and Jennifer Aniston which was not what we were expecting, but a good-looking cut. The blow-dry, though, was amazing. We'd never seen our hair so sleek and fuzz-free and without any products. What you hear: Madonna and Beck. The sell: Many options (Kérastase, Phytologie, Sebastian, MOP, and TIGI) but not the slightest push. Smells like: Bleach and peroxide. The day after: We liked the cut better after styling it ourself.

After training for a year and a half with one of the biggest stars in the Los Angeles hair galaxy, Seo has struck out on her own, landing at Frank.Studio, a salon that's as low-key cool as the stylist herself. The laid-back attitude of Seo's new home suits her. After a brief consultation, Seo casually told us that she would improvise on our hair and began to cut. We hid our fear by consuming a plate of sugar cookies supplied by the impressively friendly staff. Seo layered the back of our hair and "disconnected" the sides to create messy, multiple lengths. After a lightning-quick blowout from an assistant, Seo returned to fine-tune the bangs. Our boring, round-brushed bob had been replaced with something that was not only far edgier but also beautifully relaxed. Though perhaps that should have come as no surprise.

Zand's clients, like Nicole Kidman and Peneolope Cruz, are not famous for having colored hair...and that's the point. Zand is known for creating glossy shades of brunette and auburn without a trace of fakery.

The rays of sun pouring through the glass walls of the John Frieda salon only pointed out how garish our copper highlights had become. "Whoever colored your hair last lifted your dark blonde base to the point where it's kind of orange-ish," scolded Cunningham, whose red pigtails and sweet demeanor made her seem too young to have longtime clients like Renee Zellweger. Known for delivering natural-looking hair color, she discourages allover highlights. "Too much blonde and you'll be back at the salon every four weeks," she said. For a good hour, she carefully painted pieces of hair pale baby blonde and wrapped them with foil, coating the sections in between with a darker, sandy color for contrast. After another hour at the dryer and shampoo station, she had coaxed our hair into a convincing shade of dirty blonde and erased all traces of our former brassiness.

These days, all it takes to make a new hair-color guru is a good publicist. So let's start by saying Hill doesn't have one. Here's what else she doesn't have: attitude. The petite blonde doesn't bad-mouth other salons (she had only nice things to say about her recent departure from Chris McMillan), and she doesn't drop the names of her many A-list clients. Here's what Hill does have: talent. When we walked out, our usually light brown hair was a perfect, natural-looking shade of wheat blonde. Here's what Hill doesn't have yet, but will soon: a wait list.

We're the most notorious slackers about getting a trim. So we were relieved when Garcia said, "Let's give you a cut that will look great now and in four months." She pumped up our fine, limp locks by reshaping them with longer layers, "so you won't sacrifice the length." Garcia then blew it out, focusing on the roots for extra lift. When she put down her dryer, we were ready to book our next haircut appointment...for Memorial Day.

We barely had both feet inside Lather, an enchanting, ivy-covered converted warehouse, before we were greeted by owner and colorist Tizenor and a plate of doughnuts. Tizenor, whose client roster includes Kirsten Dunst, designed the space himself, with three waiting areas "to encourage lounging." One coffee, 15 minutes, and two doughnuts later, he reappeared for a consultation. The best way to achieve the brighter yet natural look we were after, he said, was to paint our hair in what he calls "patchwork patterns." Unfortunately, we were left to "lounge" under the dryer too long, and required a glaze to tone down some areas that were overprocessed. And Tizenor had neglected to ask us where we parted our hair, which resulted in asymmetrical streaks. We wouldn't return to Tizenor for color, but he and his salon were both so charming that we'll most certainly be back for a blowout.

Don't expect to be pampered in this no-frills salon. It's straight to the matter at hand—natural-looking color. This small boutique with its New York sensibility (all business) is home to colorist Vasquez. With the confidence that comes from 12 years of working beside Louis Licari, Vasquez is nothing if not brutally honest. When we asked her to take our medium brown hair a couple of shades lighter, she promptly told us that brunettes don't bleach well. "Hair color should look like it came from the sun," she said emphatically, adding that the heart of the "Louis Technique" is color that's brighter around the face. We understand why Sarah Michelle Geller, Mira Sorvino, and Hilary Swank are also loyal fans.

We were bogged down in errands before a friend's dinner party, and didn't have the patience (or skill) to dress up our long, fine hair ourselves. To produce much-needed volume in just 30 minutes, Buzas blew it dry and then whirled it around a medium-barrel curling iron (the ideal size for loose ripples, she said). She finished with a light coat of hair spray and asked us to spritz again later that day. At dinner that evening, our waves were incredibly glossy—and we were free to relax.

This blowout-only salon offers a menu of cheekily named hairstyles, making our desired look easy to describe—and achieve. We ruled out Slick Lick (superstraight) and Big Head (loads of volume), picking a combination of Morning After (messy waves) and Romantic Affair (loose curls). The result? Gorgeous, undulating ripples (created by twisting, pinning, and curling our hair). We couldn't have asked for anything better.

At the Neil George Salon, the sun was shining through skylights onto an elaborate blown-glass chandelier, a collection of Philippe Starck chairs, and a couple of Hollywood wives. Such a fancy place for such a low-key colorist. In the chair, we asked George to bump our standard honey-colored highlights up to a more dazzling blonde without turning them platinum. She assured us that the natural look is her specialty and brightened our hair into a delicate shade of champagne. By lightening the baby hairs along our hairline and swiping a few highlights into the underside of our hair in the back (so it wouldn't be too dark when exposed in a ponytail), she made our new shade downright radiant.

We've always seen ourselves as a blonde. But Mahoney saw us as something else: less blonde. He told us our base was too frosty and proposed warming it up with delicatehighlights in burnished gold, which would add depth to our monotone strands, heexplained. He gilded dozens of fine sections, then applied a clear gloss that deliveredintense shine. Our radiant color turned our sallow skin peachy, and we loved seeingour hair in a new, natural light.

We never mind paying for good highlights—it's the tedious wait and banal chitchat that feel like a waste. One session with Johns and our attitude changed completely. Not only was he able to determine exactly the right shade for our naturally blonde hair, but he also convinced us to embrace the curls we usually blast away with the blow-dryer and even sat down for a chat. By the end of the afternoon, we'd discovered mutual friends, swapped life stories­—and walked out the door with pale streaks.

Hollywood's old guard of producers' and directors' wives go to this quiet, secluded salon for Beverly Hills treatment. Penner's coloring style is more major studio than independent, so if you want fake white blonde, he might not be your man.

Stylist Muriel Mastey comes from the glamorous and industrious Mastey family who styled hair for Coco Chanel and Vivien Leigh. Mastey helps each client find her own style and teaches her how to love it. Hey, wait: Because the salon is brand-spankin' new, we were able to call Tuesday for a Saturday noon appointment. Nitty gritty: Mastey decided to turn our dark bob to a blond tousled cut. Instead of full process color, she used our own medium-brown color as a base, then lacquered on highlights. We feared stripes, but Mastey insisted. We're glad she did. Nature or nurture: Our makeup artist, Bruno Graniou, took a natural approach, teaching us Makeup for the Newly Blond he applied M.A.C. Green Tone Correctal to neutralize the pink in our skin, and advised us to wear less makeup. What you see: Casablanca. Moroccan paintings, fountains, and a flower garden. What you smell: Bougainvillea (and, surprisingly, not bleach). Pampering quotient: Starbucks should blush. A full bistro bar, with cappuccinos and chocolate truffles. Intimacy issues: In this ranch-style home, there are only three to four chairs per room. VIP heaven. Famous faces: Nastassja Kinski and Daryl Hannah.

Shortly after we arrived at the salon, Romeo mentioned that he was leaving early to style an actress's hair for a movie premiere. We panicked, fearing a hackneyed rush job. But instead, Romeo really took his time, brushing our unwashed hair to get a feel for how it falls. After an acupressure shampoo, Romeo had us stand next to his chair rather than sit in it while he cut our hair. He snipped away, saying "Turn, please" every so often. "Cutting at eye level lets me shape the hair in proportion to your whole body," he explained. "When you are sitting down, your legs are usually crossed and your head is cocked, so I can't get the proper perspective." When we asked for a spritz of hair spray on our new classic cut, he gently reminded us that "hair should not be a statue; it should move." Needless to say, we've been lacquer-free ever since.

Eyebrow-shaper-to-the-stars Anastasia Soare credits her short, stylish cut to Nathan Sager, who also tends the locks of Jennifer Lopez and Lara Flynn Boyle. That was all we needed to hear. We called Sager's new name across from the Ivy and actually managed to get an appointment within two weeks. "No more than an inch," we told him nervously. He did what we asked and even managed to increase our hair's heft by blunt-cutting the ends. The effects of his blow-dry are long gone, but we're still fielding compliments on the cut.

Don't be fooled by this salon's new-age vibe. Brousseau's got a practical approach to hair, believing it should be treated like real estate: "The better you maintain it, the more it pays off." Brousseau recommended a cropped cut for our pin-straight locks, and we were terrified as jagged pieces fell to the floor. But the finished look was a thoroughly modern pixie. To sweeten the deal, Brousseau offered a free "refresher"—a trim to extend the life of the haircut. We plan on booking one to milk our "investment" for all it's worth.

We were instantly put at ease by Duarte's interest in our favorite topic: us. She listened attentively to our request for more body without losing length. Duarte assured us she would break up the front and trim the rest. Then she demonstrated that loosely winding the middle portion of the hair, not the ends, around a wide-barrel curling iron creates volume, not ringlets. And we received so many compliments on our cut, we're thrilled to talk about Duarte.

When Neeko isn't on a photo shoot with Halle Berry or Macy Gray, he's working in this quirky little storefront. When we complained that our stick-straight hair resisted all volumizing spritzes and mousses, he explained that "it's your cut that really determines body and fullness." Our blunt ends were dragging down our hair and needed to be layered, Neeko said. He relieved us of only about two inches, but it lightened up our look considerably.

This fresh interpretation of an old-school beauty parlor has attracted celebrities like Kate Hudson and Cameron Diaz since opening in April 2001. But despite the buzz, "this isn't a salon of egotistical stylists," our colorist insisted. "We just want the client to walk out with the best possible hair." He suggested a honey brown base color that complemented our skin tone beautifully, and golden blonde highlights to give us a sun-kissed look. Next time, we'll follow the lead of the other clients who wisely booked a reflexology pedicure while their hair color set on the wisteria-shrouded patio.

When Jonietz saw the brown airstrip along our part, she said, "Let's try something a little more low-maintenance." She brushed on dark chestnut and medium chocolate lowlights, then placed a few golden highlights throughout. "Now, when your roots grow out it won't be as noticeable," Jonietz said, encouraging a return appointment in a leisurely 12 weeks.

Some stylists promise not to make unkind cuts—but give them an inch, and, well, they'll slice a few more. Lindy vowed to add more body to our one-length, midback hair "without sacrificing its length." She trimmed an inch off the back, sliced shoulder-skimming layers in front, and finished with a few long bangs. The cut flattered our strong features just as she said it would. Finally, a woman of her word.

Although clients like Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal certify Toyoda's hip credentials, he's known for simple, wash-and-wear cuts. He fingered our wispy flip and immediately diagnosed it as overlayered. "People love their first layered cut, but by the second it's too layered, and by the third, there's no style left at all," he explained. Using Japanese scissors (the exceptionally sharp edge allows him to slice hair without breaking it, he says), Toyoda cut an inch to make the ends blunt, then snipped hidden layers underneath to keep it from getting bottom-heavy. He sprayed his own concoction of Improve styling lotion and Fudge Volumizing gel over our entire head before blowing it straight with a round brush. We would have scratched our head in amazement at the simple sleekness of the finished product, but that would have mussed our perfect hair.